


How Much Is That Puppy in the Window

by anarchycox



Series: This Is My Family [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Found Family, Gen, Protective Phil, a nice van, clint and natasha commit a federal crime at 3, domestic AU, it is totally cool, skye lives in a van, uncle nick is so proud
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-12
Updated: 2016-11-12
Packaged: 2018-08-30 07:50:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8524825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anarchycox/pseuds/anarchycox
Summary: Skye is fine, she doesn't need family, friends, easy access to a shower. Living in her van - hell other 19 year olds dream of this - she's living the dream here. Sure she thinks she might have scurvy, and she is getting way too comfortable peeing in a cup, and she has to move her van constantly to avoid cops, and has 8 dollars to her name, but she's fine. Great. She has her computers, it's all good.She doesn't have nightmares, or is scared.She doesn't need a family. She doesn't even know what they feel like.  Can't miss what you've only seen on t.v.She might not need a family, but she's getting one.





	

"You will never see us coming." Skye finished her video and loaded it up to YouTube. Her videos had been getting some decent traffic, mostly from conspiracy nuts but it was just enough traffic that she earned enough money from ads to buy...an item off the dollar menu and some bruised fruit at the grocery store. Maybe she would just buy the fruit. She had looked up the symptoms of scurvy on webmd and she was checking an alarming number of boxes. She would be responsible.

She bought a stupid size coffee drink with extra whipped cream.

Totally worth the scurvy.

Less worth it an hour later when she had to pee. All the business around the alley where she was parked were you had to be a customer to use the bathroom. The library was an option but it was four blocks away. Looks like that cup was getting a refill that she would dump down the sewer. She popped open the side of the van and went around to the back behind a couple crates and did her business. She tried to remember why this had been a good idea.

Right. Break up. Fail out of freshman year, run away. It had been a stellar plan.

Ugh this place was so clean cut. Maybe she should try New York again, but her giant van didn't fit in as many alleys as she would like there. I mean it did, but the competition was fierce and she had been mugged a couple times, which was insane because they should have realized she had jack shit. So here she was in basically the suburbs, a not too bad train ride into the city, big enough to hide, not so big that she had to worry. I mean she had plenty to worry about, like her hot plate going on the fritz, and how she was struggling to afford ramen, and like the cup of pee in her hand.

She approached the sewer grate and acted natural but it was pretty quiet for the moment, a few people walking down the street but it was that nice post lunch lull. She walked over ready to casually spill her cup but stopped and peered at the grate, just inside was a stuffed bunny. He had clearly been dropped and someone got kicked in. Poor little guy, he couldn't get alley pee splashed on him. Skye could hear a child yelling and she ignored it to pull the guy out of the sewer.

"Misser Fuzz Butt." it was a boy's voice calling out. "Misser Fuzz Butt where you run to bunny?" it was getting closer. "MISSER FUZZ BUTT!" he screeched as he skidded into Skye. Which pushed her down and well at least most of the piss went down the grate. She had enough quarters saved to go to the laundromat for the jeans. Her bras, well bra, was getting scuzzy.

She realized that the kid was babbling and pointing. Skye held the bunny up, "Is this yours?"

He nodded furiously. "Misser Fuzz Butt. I'm careful, I am but sometimes he sneaks away for adventures." he snatched the bunny out of her arms and hugged him tight. "Aww bunny no." he said sadly. The bunny was pretty filthy and his puffy tail had gotten loose. The boy started to sniffle. "Nanny will be mad and make me throw him out. She doesn't like dirt."

Sky looked at the boy who had a leave in his hair and a tear in his jeans. "Where is your nanny?"

"Couple blocks away, I gave her the slip."

"You gave her the slip?"

"Unca Nick taught us." He smiled and oh god those were baby teeth, like super baby teeth. She stood and he only came to her waist.

"Sweetie how old are you?"

"Thwee and 5 months. Half birthday Unca Tony gonna buy us twikes." he grinned. "I'm Clint. Hello." He then waved the bunny's hand. "Misser Fuzz Butt says hullo too." he then clutched the bunny tight.

"Sweetie you can't run away from adults." She thought of cars, and assholes, and everything that could go wrong.

"Not running away from you." he said after a moment. "You saved Misser Fuzz Butt, you're nice. Can you also make him better?"

Skye closed her eyes. God she hated that she was a sucker. "Sure kiddo, come to my van."

She walked them to the alley and opened the side door and found a pack of baby wipes that stood in place for showers sometimes. "May I please see Mister Fuzz Butt?"

He giggled. "Big people don't usually call him by his proper name." He delicately handed the bunny over. He looked at her van. "Oooh computers."

"You like computers?" Skye was carefully wiping the grime off of the bunny.

"Unca Tony give me and Tashie bitty computers. New ones for kids."

"Oh, that's nice like Leap Frog baby tablets?"

He scowled. "Not a baby. Three and five months. He made kid StawkPads for us. We are his...awww words..." he took a breath. "Betas!" he shouted cheerfully. "We're his beta testers we have to break them."

The fur was mostly clean and Skye reached into a bag for a mini sewing kit she had swiped from a Y. She got to work on the tail. "How come you get to beta new Stark tech?"

"Because Unca Tony." he shook his head at her. "Don't you have an Unca Tony?"

"No sweetie, I don't have a family." she finished the tail. All in all she thought the bunny looked pretty decent. "Now Mister Fuzz Butt, I have to say that you probably shouldn't have many more adventures without Clint." she made him nod his head. "Good bunny."

"We can be your family, if you want?" Clint asked.

Skye smiled a little and handed him the bunny. "Thanks sweetie, but I bet you have enough family." She could hear shouting. "Think you've been missed. Could you maybe go meet them? Cops would not take kindly to you being in an alley by a van that screams rolling probable cause."

"Huh?" 

"Go find your nanny and don't wander off. Not everyone is as good at bunny rescue as me."

"What's your name?"

"Skye." she gave him a push. "Have a nice life, Clint."

"See you soon!" he said cheerfully as he skipped away.

She laughed at that. He was a cute kid. She'd never see him again.

*********************************

She had gone into New York for a couple days, to meet up with the few people she did know and when she got back to Stamford she moved into a different alley. She had almost forgot about her encounter with the little boy.

Until she slid her van door open and there was the boy and he had a girl beside him.

"Tashie's monkey had a boo-boo, I told her you could fix it." Clint waved. 

"Hi?" She looked around for an adult and didn't see one. "Did you give an adult the slip again?"

"Supposed to be at story time at the library." he waved his hand to the building across the street. "New kid librarian has a cat sweater. We ran. Fix Tashie's monkey."

Skye looked at the girl with her flame red hair. "Hello, Tashie, I'm Skye. It is a pleasure to meet you and your monkey."

"If you hurt us I can kick really hard and scream louder. If you keep monkey, I'll have Unca Nick disappear you." With that she handed the stuffed animal over.

Well that wasn't scary. She looked at the girl who was scowling and Clint who was grinning and trying to sneak into the van to look around. "Come on into my home." she said as she pushed back. The kid scrambled in.

"Home?" Clint asked. "This isn't just your tweehouse?"

"No I live in here. It is totally cool." She looked at the injured stuffed animal and grabbed the sewing kit.

"Doesn't your mommy get mad that you live in a car?" Tashie asked.

"I don't have a mom." Skye said quietly, concentrating on her sewing.

"We don't either." Clint said. He moved back over from the wall of computers and hugged Skye's leg. "We have Daddy though, and the dumb nanny."

"She is dumb. I asked how she was in french and she didn't know it." Tashie explained.

"You know french Tashie? That's really cool."

"Auntie Pep Pep is teaching me." Tashie smiled a little. "I know 40 words and 5 sentences."

"Wow. What about you Clint?"

"I can hang upside down for three whole minutes."

"That is impressive." Skye realized that talking with these kids was the nicest human interaction she had in a long time. The people she had seen in New York it was all data and negotiation, no one had been very nice. "Here you go Tashie." she handed over the monkey.

Tashie looked at the job and nodded. She dug into her pocket and pulled out a couple hershey kisses. "Payment?"

"You don't have to."

Tashie frowned and dropped the chocolate on Skye. "Payment. No debts."

"Okay then. But you should get back to the library. I'm sure the nanny is missing you."

Clint and Tashie both shrugged. "3rd nanny, we don't keep people. We're twouble." Clint said. He looked at her hopefully. "Wanna be family?"

"Go to the library Clint. You too Tashie."

"Your home smells like noodles." Tashie replied.

"I eat a lot of noodles." Skye smiled. "Living the dream."

"We'll fix this. Daddy says I'm a good fixer." Tashie smiled and grabbed Clint's hand and they were gone.

Skye wondered what that meant.

******************************************

In the next three weeks, no matter where she moved the van to in the city, the twins found her. She would open the door and there they were. Sometimes with a stuffed animal that need fixing, other times a new toy they wanted to show her. Tashie started bringing books for her to read to them, and Clint brought her peanut butter sandwiches. And every time they said goodbye Clint asked if she wanted to be family. She said no.

She was worried they were getting too attached to her. That wasn't good for them. She'd be gone soon, she was like the wind, changing and free.

It wasn't that she was worried that she was getting too attached to them and how much it would hurt when they stopped coming to visit.

And then it happened.

She opened the door and the twins were of course there. Clint wanted to show off his tumbling and the band aids covering his knees. Tashie handed her a book and they were having their usual visit. "Nanny got let go, she proved to be incompent." Tashie struggled with the word a little.

"Yeah no shit." Skye winced. "You didn't hear me say that. So who is looking after you now?"

"Daddy took a couple weeks off of work." Clint said upside down. "We're having fun. He builds good forts, and does story voices, and puzzles." They could hear shoes running and Clint put himself right side up. "And he finds us really quick when we give him the slip."

Skye gulped as the man came into the alley. He had a phone out and a small bit of black in his hand. She knew it was a collapsible baton. "Uh-oh." she whispered.

"Clinton Francis, Natasha Alice, you two better have a rather fantastic explanation for this." he looked at Skye like she was scum, but at least the weapon went away.

"This is Skye." Clint said, like that was all that was needed. Tashie nodded in agreement.

"Hello Sir. I'm not a creeper with a van if that helps." Skye offered. "Well I mean I have a van, a black one, here in an alley, alone with your two kids, oh crap." Skye decided to shut up.

"It's her home Dad." Tashie explained. "Like us living in our treehouse. Can we live in treehouse?"

"No." he gestured and the kids went over. "I want you two to go out of this alley and into the coffee shop two doors down on the right. There will be no deviations. You've already lost StarkPad privileges for a week and if you aren't there, sitting with Auntie Pep Pep when I come back, you will not be happy, am I clear?"

"Yes, sir." they both said. Clint waved at Skye, "Wanna be family?"

Phil's jaw hardened and Skye worried she was dead.

"Do what your father says, sweetie." 

Clint and Natasha disappeared and the man came over. And oh shit, his smile was the scariest thing she had ever seen. "I've never hurt them." she said quickly. "I would never hurt them."

"They are 3. In an alley, in a van, with a woman I don't know." Phil looked at her. "Tell me exactly why I don't have you arrested."

"Most you could do is get me fined." Skye looked at him. "And maybe you should keep better track of your kids, or at least hire better help for them, because you probably don't want to know how much they visit me - even though I move around town every two days." Skye paused. "Wait, how do they find me?"

Phil looked at her. "That's classified."

She snorted. "Okay Mr. Accountant, I'm sure." She crossed her arms and tried to look intimidating.

"Oh, child, that's cute." he said. He moved a little closer and she tried really hard not flinch. He peered into her van. "Are you a hacker?"

"No, those only play Pac Man and the Sims." she blocked his view a little. "So what now?"

"Now you pack up and go away. I don't care where." he smiled a little and Skye was terrified. "You never come near my kids again, and if you do, I make what little time is left in your life hell." Phil turned without another word.

"Just...Mister Fuzz Butt's tail is still pretty loose, you might want to reinforce my stitches." she shouted after him.

He acted like he didn't even hear. 

Skye decided it was time to go back to New York City and get lost again.

The kids would be okay, no one has ever missed her for long before, they would be the same.

*******************************

Phil stared at his children, impressed. The oreos were still sitting where he had left them, completely untouched. They just sat there and glared at him. But he was worried a 2 day hunger strike was scary on 3 year olds. "Talk to me, Clint. Talk to me, Tashie." They just glared at him some more. "This time, I promise I'll listen."

They looked at each other and then him. "We want Skye back. Get her back."

"Why?" Phil asked. When they had first started talking about Skye, he had thought it was an imaginary friend and had indulged them. Only he realized the nanny's accounting of the day didn't match the kids and he activated the trackers in the kid's shoes and realized they were regularly giving the nanny the run around. He fired her and stayed with the kids, which lead him to that alley. He had never been so scared as to see them so easily snatched away - his gravest concern as an employee of SHIELD. And he admitted he may have overreacted, but the girl had almost held her own. He knew she was gone, but her comment about Mister Fuzz Butt lingered. No one who cared about that, could be really bad.

When the kids realized she was gone they went to war. Weeks of silent treatment, a child's version of work to rule, a list of demands (which was bring Skye back), and the latest was the hunger strike. He had called Nick to bitch, and it turned out that was where the twins had gotten their battle plan from. Nick encouraged them way too much.

"She listened to us." Clint said. "Like you do. The nanny just pat our heads. And she fixed Misser Fuzz Butt. And helped me be upside down."

"She helped me with my french verbs, and never hugged me." Tashie added. "She treated us like people."

Clint's chin wobbled. "She doesn't have a mommy, like us. And she lived in a van. I was making her family, because she needed us, and you made her go way."

Phil held out his arms and his strangely adult toddlers crawled in his lap and began to bawl about how much they missed her friend.

"I wanna keep her Daddy." Clint sobbed.

"She's not a stray puppy."

"Yes she is." Tashie added trying to not cry and failing. "She's 19 Daddy. She should have a family to worry about her. We were trying, but she needs big people."

"Okay, okay sweet ones." He rocked them a little to soothe them. "I suppose I could try to find her, but it might be difficult." he warned.

"Nu-uh. We put a twacker in her van, one of Unca Tony's that are like in our shoes."

Phil blinked. "You but what is probably illegal tech, into a van, that has likely crossed state lines."

"Unca Tony says it runs on the same frequencies as NSA and FBI so it can't be noticed." 

"My three year olds may have just committed a federal crime." Phil groaned. "Your Uncle Nick will be so proud." he opened up his StarkPad. "Give me the code, let's find your friend."

Tashie got down to get her children's StarkPad.

Clint hugged his dad. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you about Skye, but we didn't want to scare her away. She has author issues."

"Authority issues?" Phil corrected.

"Yeah. Sorry Daddy." Clint grinned. "I'm gonna make the guest room nice for her for moving in." Clint ran away.

"We're checking if she's okay, she isn't moving in!" Phil shouted. He wasn't surprised when Clint ignored him.

************************************

The three of them traced the van to the city but when they found it, it was abandoned, all her stuff gone. 

Clint kicked the tires. "She wouldn't left the van, it's her home." He kicked the tires a few more times.

Tashie stood beside her father, "Do we expect foul play?" she tried to crack her knuckles.

 _Yes_ , Phil thought, staring at the lock on the door. But all he said was, "I promise that I will find her. Let's call Uncle Nick and tell him to meet us at Uncle Tony's."

Once there Pepper distracted the kids with robots and cartoons while Phil talked it out with Nick and Tony. Tony hopped on a computer and immediately set some programs to look for her, not that they had a lot to go on. Nick promised to put the word out at the office, get a few of their men checking it out.

"Why's she important to you?" Nick asked.

"Because she's important to them, and I didn't listen." Phil explained.

"Well, this is good, working on this gets me out of Ian Quinn's party tonight. Also thinks he's sooo good, because he made that most beautiful rich guys list." Tony muttered typing away.

"Oh no, Mr. Stark, you are going to that." Nick said. "That guy is on our radar, he's been engaged in some interesting talks, and we think stealing from another client of ours. Phil will go as your plus one, and you two will see if you can get a read on the guy."

Phil rolled his eyes. "We're a security firm, not espionage."

Nick just snorted at that. "Sure Phil."

He sighed, Nick was right, Quinn had a patent that he shouldn't and how he got it needed to be checked out. Nick went back to the office and the two men prepared for the party and Pepper was happy to babysit. A couple hours later they were walking into Quinn's penthouse and Phil was trying to ignore all the bugs that Tony was leaving. He got a whiskey and played nice, and maybe left a couple bugs of his own. He saw Quinn standing in a group and he and Tony circled over.

"Quinn! How goes ripping off my water filtration system?" Tony shouted as he pulled the man into a bro hug.

"Good, how's that knockoff of my engine coming along?" Quinn answered just as happy. The group around them laughed. "And who's this, don't tell me Pepper finally got smart and left you?"

"No, but she has me in the doghouse, made me bring along the accountant, just in case we got into one of our 'rich boy pissing tech contests'." More laughter.

"Phil Coulson, honour to meet you." Phil held out his hand and projected an air of awe. "Your work is just incredible." he made sure to not at all react to Skye standing there in a small pink dress.

"Well thank you." Quinn smiled. "This is Skye, my new intern. Brilliant mind, just needs some direction, and I am happy to provide it."

"Best job ever." Skye smiled. "A pleasure to meet you both."

Tony looked at her and wasn't nearly as good at playing cool as Phil. "Have we met?" he tried to cover how he had jolted at the name. "Perhaps in Malibu at Clint...Eastwood's place."

"I wish." she laughed, but Phil had seen the way her pupil's flared at the mention of Clint. Her body language was tense, and there was a small tremor in her hands. "Love his old movies, he always manages a cool escape when trapped in a corner."

"Well, I know a good bonus gift for you now," Quinn joked. "Blu-ray dvds it is."

There was just chit chat and the small group broke apart. Phil and Tony went to the bar. "She's scared Phil, fucking terrified." Tony whispered.

"Start getting shitfaced Stark, or at least pretend too. I need a distraction and a Stark that slipped his leash can provide one." Phil was scanning the room.

"Can do." Tony signaled for another drink. "Ha, Pepper thinks she can throw me in the doghouse, I'll show her!" he shouted.

"Good. When they kick you out, you get gone." Phil looked at him. "No heroics."

"But I would be such a good hero." Tony joked, voice dripping with irony.

"You really would." Phil said simply and walked away. He made sure he knew exactly where Skye was the whole time and watched for when Tony made an ass of himself and slipped through some doors. He wanted to see what Quinn was up to. He found himself in an office, but he wasn't a hacker, he couldn't touch the computer. He planted a couple bugs and when he heard people coming jumped over the back of a sofa and hid.

Quinn came in, with several other people, including one woman. He really hoped it was Skye.

"Well so much for Stark sobering up." Quinn laughed. "Didn't even realize that I stole his phone when I helped him out. Got a punch in too." Everyone in the room but the girl laughed. "Crack it open."

"This is Stark's personal phone." Phil breathed out. Skye. "This isn't like hacking the Pentagon, it's going to be hard." Okay, Phil wasn't touching that. And he was never leaving her alone with Tony. "Hey let go."

"I'm sorry, I think you misunderstand. Get into Stark's phone." Quinn's voice wasn't genial, but hard. "Did you forget how I helped you out?"

"Helped? You broke into my van, stole all my stuff and have kept me locked in a room!"

"Well, you shouldn't have messed around in my computer systems." Quinn explained. "It was dumb luck we caught enough of your signature and were able to offer you a job."

"This isn't a job, it's imprisonment."

"No imprisonment is what you face if we turn your computers over to the FBI. Now hack the phone."

"Oh kiss my ass." Skye said.

Phil heard the sound of a hard smack. Nobody hurt something someone that belonged to the twins. He stood up. "Hello everyone, I seem to have lost my way to the bathroom."

"Really. Behind the couch. In my office. That had been locked." Quinn looked at the two guards who weren't busy holding up Skye. 

Phil held up his hands and awkwardly climbed over the couch when the two goons moved over. "Oops?" he offered. He looked at the hand mark on Skye's face. "I'm really sorry."

"Mr. Accountant, what are you doing?" she asked.

"New job, Skye. Run him. His name is Phil Coulson." Quinn gestured to his computer and the man that had been holding Skye dragged her over and pushed her into the chair. 

She looked at Phil, so worried for him. "Phillip J Coulson, if that makes it easier. Would you like my birth date as well?" he asked.

"Well aren't you helpful?" Quinn smiled.

"I'm expected at home, the soon we wrap this up the better."

"Do you think I'll just let you go?"

"Yes. I think in about 3 minutes Skye and I will walk out that door, and you'll decide to forget that you ever met us."

"What makes you so sure of that?" Quinn gestured and all three guards pulled out guns.

"What the hell is SHIELD?" Skye asked staring at the computer.

The goon nearest Skye flinched at that and it was all Phil needed. He tazed that man and then dealt swiftly and easily with the two who thought they had the drop on him. Quinn had moved and was gripping Skye by throat and using her as cover. "Are you here to kill me?"

"I don't give a fuck about you really, Quinn. I'm just here for Skye."

"What?" Both Skye and Quinn said.

"I came into the city to find Skye, she has been missed and I owed her an apology. We were looking for her and I found her here. And she looked scared and that was unacceptable. So she's coming home with me right now."

"I've been missed?" she squeaked as Quinn grabbed her throat even harder.

"She's an orphan, a runaway, no one misses her."

"Her family does." Phil said simply. He pulled out a gun and shot Quinn in the foot, when he dropped to the ground screaming, Phil calmly moved Skye away and started to escort her from the room. "He is very unpleasant. I'm going to sic Nick and Tony on him to destroy him." He put his gun away. "Come on, Clint and Tashie went on a hunger strike over you, let's return you to them."

"What do you mean return me to them?"

Phil just laughed, "You'll see." 

****************************

When Skye woke up in the morning, she couldn't breathe, mainly because Tashie was choking the life out of her. Clint was hugging her leg like a koala. When she had been brought to Stark Tower last night it had all been a blur, but people fussed and shouted and then the woman took her to a bedroom and gave her pajamas and tucked her in. A foster mom had done that once, when she was six. It was nice.

And the twins must have snuck in, in the night. It had only been a few weeks, but god she had missed them.

Tashie woke up first.

"Hi." Skye smiled at her.

"You smell and I have to pee." Tashie whispered.

"How do we get Clint to let go?" Skye asked.

"Don't worry about it, just start walking." Tashie got let go and rolled off the bed. Skye got up. And started to walk and Clint stayed attached to her leg and completely asleep.

"What the heck Tashie?"

"He sleeps like the dead." Tashie shrugged. They made their way to the bathroom. "Help?" 

Skye didn't think about it, just helped Tashie with her overnight pull up and then helped her wash her hands and brushed her teeth. Clint let go and woke up when his butt hit the ground.

"Awww bum, no." Clint yawned. He realized he was in the bathroom. "I need help too." So Skye helped him out also. She then automatically held out her hands and each child took one.

"Take me to your leaders." she joked. She was dragged to the kitchen where Phil was cooking and Pepper and Tony were sitting at the table her with a journal and Tony with the guts of the toaster.

"Jesus, I am really am in Tony Stark's apartment." Skye said. "Oh my god, he's Unca Tony, who can't even sing the ABCs right?"

"Hey I can sing the periodic table song." Tony protested and then he proceeded to sing it.

Clint sang along getting it all horribly wrong and not caring. Tashie pushed Skye to a chair.

"You're my superhero." Skye said to Tony.

"Oh good lord." Pepper and Phil said simultaneously.

Tony grinned. "The twins have good taste. I'm off to the lab, stop by before you move back into your van, I'll set you up with a few computers."

Phil held out plate which Tony ignored. Phil slid it in front of Skye. He saw out of the corner of his eye how she got some fruit for his kids. He shared a look with Pepper.

"Daddy?"

"Yes Clint."

"I'm keeping Skye." Tashie coughed. "We're keeping Skye." he said.

"Awww that's sweet guys, but my van calls to me."

"No, keeping you. You can park in our driveway, but mine now." Clint crawled into her lap. "Kept."

"Help here, someone?" Skye looked at Phil.

"Clint, Tashie, go bother Uncle Tony. I need to make sure a man goes out of business and hopefully to jail." Phil walked out, and the twins trailed after him, still talking about how they were keeping Skye.

Skye stared at Pepper suddenly nervous. She took in the perfect hair and expensive suit and realized she was still in the borrowed pajamas.

"Should I shower before you give me pity money and tell me to go on my way?" Skye asked. "Because I do get it you know, the kids deserve a better influence than a homeless runaway hacker who's never had a family."

Pepper smiled and opened a folder beside her and handed the papers to Skye. "Your starting salary is dependent on your living circumstances. If you choose to live in the house, your pay will be 400 a week, as you will be receiving food and board, 600 a week if you choose to find your own housing. You will have evenings after Mr Coulson is home free along with most weekends, though his work causes very odd hours. You will be paid more when he is called out of town. As a part of the contract you will sign an NDA for anything he says about work, Tony says about prototypes, etc. You will be given self defense lessons and you will take college courses. Phil does not like a wasted intelligence and I have to agree. He will cover the costs for said classes." Pepper paused. "Is there a problem?"

"I don't understand." Skye said.

"The kids said they were keeping you. This is you being kept." Pepper explained. "You are being offered a job as their live in nanny. Salary, benefits, a real bed, access to a shower every day." Pepper smiled at her. "Skye, you have the offer of a home in front of you. Would you like it?"

Skye looked at the papers in front of her.

"I made a bed for you. Misser Fuzz Butt is protecting it." Clint shouted from the doorway.

"We are supposed to be being sneaky." Tashie hissed.

"Sorry." Clint said. He peered around the corner. "Wanna be family? We don't have a Skye, I think we need a Skye." Tashie peeked around too and nodded.

"I'm not a stray puppy that needed rescue." she said, mostly trying to reassure herself.

"Is being rescued by them so bad?" Pepper asked.

Skye shook her head no. She barely glanced at the papers and signed them. The kids came running in and tackled her. "Yay, we have a Skye." Clint said.

"Guess you do." she looked over and there was Phil. "Hey Mr. Accountant, I'll only stay in the guest room, until I have enough to get a place."

Phil just smiled.

She still didn't quite get what being kept by the Coulsons meant.

But she would learn.

She wasn't going anywhere.


End file.
